The huge shortage of the empty container faced by the Indian exporters can be well addressed if the government speed up the movement of empty containers from ports to the hinterland for loading export goods and stop empty boxes from being taken out of the country. This could definitely help improve the availability of containers, if not bring the freight rates down.
Exporters have been looking for support from the government with the ever-increasing freight rates and shortage of containers in the nation, which is constantly increasing their operational costs.
While the government has been looking at ways to help the exporters, a source from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said that there is hardly anything they can do regarding freight rates.
The government is veering around to the view that all empty containers from ports to hinterland locations in the North should move by rail only, which typically takes about three days from the western region.